Gloombridge
History In 3038 the first colony ship arrived in Groombridge 1618. The ship had originally intended to journey to Alpha Centaur, but the Brechenhoff incident convinced them to select an uninhabited star system. Hades’ moon Elysium was the most earth-like world available and was selected as their colony site. The first few years were extremely difficult. The colonists were unprepared for the harsh conditions of pioneer life and many of them regretted their choice of Groombridge 1618. The orange glow of the star cast an eerie feeling of gloom over the planet even in the middle of the day and many of the colonists began to refer to the star as Gloombridge. In the years that followed, other colony ships began to arrive. The next two were a corporate ship that chose Asphodel to establish its colony and a religious order known as The Sisterhood who selected Persephone. After that began the arrival of the prison ships. The prison ships were primarily filled with petty criminals, mostly the poor who turned to crime to survive, although there were a few, hardened criminals as well. A processing station and prison was established on Tartarus, although few new arrivals were held for more than a year before being released. Once the prison ships began travelling to Groombridge 1618 most ordinary colonists stopped coming. The few exceptions were mostly zealots looking for an escape from persecution. The most notable of these was The Eden Society, who settled on the innermost planet and renamed it New Eden. They absorbed the nascent colony on the planet and established a wildlife refuge. Life in Gloombridge is harsh and most worlds are at least a little bit suspicious of outsiders. Piracy has long been rampant in the system, but with the arrival of the wormhole in 3625 the number of people trying to strike it rich with piracy has exploded, as the Terran corporate mining ships were initially easy targets. With the memory of the Tau Ceti war still fresh in their minds, the Terran government has tried to avoid interference with the local governments. The Terran navy ships primarily guard the wormhole with a few ships patrolling the outer system and the asteroid belt in order to assist Terran mining operations that come under attack. Star System New Eden New Eden is the innermost planet. It is tidally locked to Groombridge 1618 (the same side of the planet always faces the sun). The sun-side of the planet is a vast savannah dotted with rivers and lakes, while the dark side is a huge frozen ice sheet. The Eden Society runs the planet and they are generally hostile to outsiders. There is one spaceport located at Shangrila as well as an orbital station. Hades Hades is a large gas giant (about 4 times the mass of Jupiter). It has 15 moons, of which 7 have well-established colonies. Many of the smaller moons are too small to easily colonize but frequently contain small settlements and mining operations. Spacers and their descendents prefer these lower gravity moons to the larger planets. Persephone Persephone is the home of a religious order known as The Sisterhood. Despite the name the group has both male and female members. Few are permitted to land on the planet and there are few large cities visible from orbit. They trade extensively with other colonies, although they remain friendly, but guarded towards outsiders. Demeter Demeter is 90% covered with water. The tropical zones of Demeter are popular vacation destinations. Cities dot the planet on the little useable dry land available and Demter even boasts two cities located on the ocean floor of the planet’s numerous shallow seas. Phelgethon This planet is covered with volcanic activity and the atmosphere is sulfurous. It features “rainstorms” of sulfuric acid. Elysium Location of Gloombridge’s first colony. This moon is the most Earth-like in the system and is also the most highly populated colony in the system. Erebus This is a wet and rainy moon. The dense atmosphere is often filled with thick clouds and heavy fog. Tartarus Originally established as a prison colony, Tartarus is still the central processing station for incoming prison ships. When the first ship arrived, there was an attempt to run the colony as a prison, but this proved unworkable. Those hired to work as guards wanted a better life for themselves and many of them emigrated to Elysium turning control of the colony over to the prisoners. This turned out to be far more successful than imaginable. Most of the prisoners were not hardened criminals and the chance to start over in a new star system proved to be a golden opportunity. Most inhabitants in Gloombridge can trace their ancestry back to here. Asphodel Asphodel is unique in the system. Founded by the corporate venture GEC (Groombridge Expeditionary Corporation). The entire planet’s population is employed by GEC, and they bound by contract from birth. Despite the highly regimented life, most citizens are quite content and view themselves as superior to other colonists in the system. Until the arrival of the wormhole gate from Earth, the colony on Asphodel had the most advanced technology in the system. Lethe Lethe has a reputation where anything can be had for the right price. The moon’s major cities boast the biggest and most exciting casinos and nightclubs that run around the clock. However, outside these cities, most of the planet looks much like any other colony. Svartheim Svartheim is covered in a thick jungle of trees with dark black leaves designed to capture as much light as possible. The heavy foliage in the jungle regions is so efficient at capturing light that the floor of the forest is almost completely dark. Settlements are somewhat small, but cover a large fraction of the planet. Amundsen This large planet is frozen tundra, however it boasts enormous mineral deposits, which form the basis of a vast industrial operation. The main vulnerability of the colony is their reliance on food imports from the inner colonies. Irkalla Irkalla is one of the few Earth-like planets in the system, although its position so far from the sun makes it colder and darker than the moons of the Hades system. Still, it has proven to be a quite successful colony. Apuch In contrast to Demeter, this water planet is no tropical paradise. Winters are extreme, locking half of the planet surface in ice for 3 or more months. Still, the sea is the source of Apuch’s success where planet-scale aquaculture is practiced. Hephaistos If you want to strike it rich, this might be the place to do it, if you live. The atmosphere is laced with toxic chemicals and frequent dust storms scour the planet. However, it is also the most mineral rich place in the solar system. The cities on Hephaistos are all underground and there are thousands of tunnels crisscrossing the planet. Asteroid Belt Traditionally the asteroid belt was the home to a few eccentric prospectors and a handful of extremely isolationist Spacers. However, since the opening of the wormhole two years ago, it has become a hive of activity. Terran corporations have started to scour the belt for valuable minerals and pirates have moved in to prey on them. The Terran navy also patrols the belt looking to stamp out pirate activity. Murmansk Officially named Sheol, this gas giant sits at the outer edge of the solar system. It is about half the mass of Jupiter. The wormhole gate was established in the same orbit and is about a 12-hour flight from the system. The Terran government established the Murmansk base on the fourth moon to serve as a way station for ships traveling through the wormhole. Since the Murmansk base is the only feature of note, most people have started to refer to the entire planetary system by that name.